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Change in Taiji: Finite Disappointment, Infinite Hope

Remember in 2009 when The Cove won best documentary? The film opened the world’s eyes to the annual drive hunt of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. Well the hunt continues. This weekend in fact. But the opposition continues as well. Sea Shepherd is one of the leading voices of this opposition. They are even live streaming this year’s round up, capturing and (I assume) slaughter of dolphins. As far as I understand, the slaughter will begin Monday.

Fifteen of the animals were taken for a “life of imprisonment in captivity,” the group said, adding that one dolphin died in the process. On Saturday, the group said 25 dolphins were removed from their pod, and one died.

The remaining dolphins will spend a third night in the cove before being killed Monday, the group said. CNN reported that the dolphins taken Saturday and Sunday were likely to be sold into captivity at marine parks in Japan and overseas, according to the conservation group.

In an interesting connection, the popular marine park, SeaWorld, is one of the main profiteers of the Taiji hunt. This year’s popular documentary, Blackfish, details via firsthand accounts from former trainers and others how orcas are captured, trained, and kept captive through inhumane and unnatural methods. The park’s attendance and celebrity affiliations have suffered greatly due to the film’s popularity.

Another account, from Sea Shepherd reads:

“Tomorrow is going to be a rough day. They took over 30 dolphins to be sold for entertainment, including this albino (probably blind) whose mother fought to stay with her baby and then drowned herself, according to Cove Guardians. Tomorrow the remaining 220 will be hacked to death and the Cove will be more red than ever. If SeaWorld really cared about dolphins as they say, they would stop this.”

So now, dear readers, is the time when we feel helpless to help. However, as Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” So stir up your hope that there is a world awaiting us where respect for our non-human animal companions is the norm. Then, take even just one action. Can’t think of what you might be able to do? Let me help:

Spread the Word:

Follow Operation Infinite Patience on social media and share with your friends and family. Ask them to help us end this atrocity.

Educate others on the link between the captive dolphin industry and the Taiji dolphin slaughter. Please discourage your friends and family from visiting dolphinariums, aquariums, or participating in captive dolphin programs like “swimming with the dolphins”

Contact the Authorities:

Help us end the brutal Taiji dolphin slaughter by voicing your concerns to the authorities in Taiji as well as the Japanese Embassy, US Embassy to Japan, US and Japanese Ambassadors to the UN, and the US Senate members of the Committee on Foreign Relations.

This information is from Sea Shepherd and surely there is ONE action from this list that you can do. To make it even easier, here is the message I will be including in my e-mail to many of the above contacts. Please feel free to copy the text and use it for yourself as well.

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to express my dismay and disapproval with the continued Taiji dolphin hunt. In light of the increasing global awareness and concern of our exploitation of dwindling marine creatures, as well as the increasing public outrage (including that from Japanese citizens) toward this hunt, I believe the time for defending this tradition has ended. With respect to the citizens and leaders of Japan and admiration for many of the country’s beautiful non-violent traditions, I implore you to cease this annual hunt and bring Japan further into the more peaceful and conservationist future that is necessary for our planet and its species.

Lastly, I want to exhort you to remain compassionate toward the people who carry out this hunt. I have seen plenty of comments on social media spewing hate and violence toward them, but there is no difference between that violence and the violence they inflict on the dolphins. Not essentially. And what are we doing if we counter darkness with darkness?

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

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Thank you so much for writing this message and sharing it with us! I used the text and sent it! I had signed a petition, but this is a great way (really takes no time at all) to let people know how we feel and what we think! Again, thanks! – Nina

Thank you for this post! I appreciate that you are spreading the word, and the gentle way that you do it. I am so glad to have been pointed to your blog via Eleutheria4PlanetEarth! Please keep up your good work!